Australia vs India: Usman Khawaja hopes to get Virat Kohli out early on Day 3

The second Test between Australia and India has reached an interesting juncture at the close of play on Day 2. India wrapped the Australian tail up soon in the morning. Furthermore, with unbeaten half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, the visitors seem to be in the driver’s seat. However, Australian number three batsman, Usman Khawaja still believes that his team is ahead in the game.

India trail Australia’s score by 154 runs with seven wickets in hand. Khawaja hoped that the Aussies pick the wicket of the Indian skipper early on Day 3 so that they could expose their long tail. He added that the bowlers will have to be disciplined enough and also noted that they require some luck.

Khawaja needs some luck on their side

“Virat is a good batsman. He respects good bowlers. All our bowlers bowled well in patches today. Sometimes they nick it sometimes they don’t. We just have to keep putting it in right place in the right time. We have to be disciplined enough to get those edges and a bit of luck is needed,” Usman Khawaja said in the press conference on Saturday.

“If you give him an opportunity to score, he will take it. He was on it today and gave him a couple fuller balls, so he hit us but at the same time, we had to attack stumps and see what the wicket had to offer. Probably bowling back of length was harder than fuller length, so he got away. Tomorrow he starts again so we have a chance,” the left-hander added.

Khawaja also went on to say that the Aussies haven’t lost the upper hand. He noted that Ajinkya Rahane taking the attack onto the bowlers pegged them back slightly. “We haven’t lost the upper hand and are still ahead of the game. Ajinkya Rahane came out and took on the short ball but we pegged them back as bowlers started bowling well.

“We need to do it consistently through the whole period. We knew that but some days it comes easy, some days it doesn’t. Hopefully tomorrow we can be a little bit better. They are still 140 behind. It took them 70 overs to get 170-odd. One or two wickets in the first session will be pretty big for us,” Khawaja noted.

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